Malcolm has been spending all recent autumn afternoons outside, skateboarding with his buddies, as is the norm.
What is different is that they are now hooked on geocaching, and skate on longboards from spot to spot, following clues.
What is geocaching, you ask? It’s a form of treasure hunting, except instead of following a half-burned and torn map, you follow clues on the internet and navigate with GPS. Instead of finding a brass-hinged wooden chest full of coins and rubies, you find a small tupperware box with a notebook and a small token inside. You sign the notebook, remove the token, replace it with another, and take off for the next spot.
Yesterday the boys found four caches in Swarthmore alone, and another at the Springfield Mall. They are full of enthusiasm for this, versus the days when they are just “hanging out.”
I reminded our sons that Chris, Uncle Jim and I had taken them geocaching years ago, on bikes, at Valley Forge National Park. They were so unimpressed with the activity at the time that they barely remembered it.
But then again, when your parents think of it, it’s just not cool.
